The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, November 11, 2011- 5 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, November 11, 2011 - 5 Michigan duo goes global By LUCY PERKINS DailyArts Writer Last night at The Ark, the ears of many Ann Arborites were graced by soft, twangy folk melo- dies of Michigan's Seth Bernard and May Erlewine. The concert celebrated the Oct. 28 release of their latest album, New Flower, born from a recent pilgrimage to Ethiopia. Their energy was infec- tious - beneath Bernard's bushy brown beard he never stopped smiling - and only grew as Erlew- ine sang. Despite the wild range of influences from tunes reminis- cent of a dark night of Ethiojazz (Ethiopian jazz) to the melody of a summer morning in northern Michigan, there was one constant - their audible happiness. But Bernard and Erlewine are Eugene Rogers will direct the Men's Glee Club during tomorrow's 152nd Annual Fall Hill Concert. A growing Glee Club ADAM LANZMAN/Daily Seth and May performed tracks from New Flawer last sight at the Ark. Leadership changes, variety of repertoire on show at Hill By JONATHAN ODDEN For the Daily From the hushed silence bursts a perfectly pitched note, causing hairs to bristle in resonance as the audience waits for the live Men's Glee power of the performance to Club: 152nd pour over them. Annual Fall It is this emo- tional fervor Hill Concert that defines the Tomorrow Michigan Men's at8 p.m. Glee Club. Under the new Hill Auditorium directorship of From $5 Eugene Rogers, we will see not only this famil- iar energy, but also a new level of global depth within the repertoire that advances the lauded tradition of the Michigan Men's Glee Club. "(It's) not just singing diverse types of music, but actually in giv- ing of ourselves to that repertoire with a fuller understanding of the music and its culture and where it come from, and then to do that with as much authentically as possible," Rogers said. Rogers is associate director of choirs and assistant professor of conducting in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. He has taken over the reign of the Michi- gan Men's Glee Club and will be debuting four premiere pieces in his first concertas director tomor- row in the 152nd Annual Fall Hill Auditorium Concert. "We're doing everything from classical pieces to spiritu- als, music from Germany, Lat- via, America - anywhere you can imagine," said Raul Jimenez, public relations manager for the Men's Glee Club and a junior in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. "It has been a challenging transition, but Director Rogers has brought this twist to every- thing, which has added so much to our identity as a group." Among these new twists is Rog- ers's "Pan African Medley." This song combines six African pieces and its compilation speaks to the range of stylistic breadth that Rog- ers has as a composer and director. "These pieces are not con- nected as much bytextbut in that they show you different types of African expression, which spans from primal energy to traditional South African music, from joy- ful Tanzanian tunes to slow and intimate moments, before ending in a triumphant Zulu anthem," Rogers said. The Men's Glee Club will also perform Dave Matthews's "Gravedigger" and Timothy Takach's "Luceat Eis" - which remembers the death of 9/11 vic- tim Mary-Yolanda Dowling and reminds us of the value of selfless- ness during the toth anniversary of the tragedy. The show also features a spe- cial performance by students from Renaissance High School in Detroit through the "Brothers In Song" program, which Jimenez describes as "a diversity and com- munity engagement initiative that provides outreach to underrep- resented choral programs across the state." The "Brothers In Song" pro- gram has grown large, thanks to the work of University alumni and has emerged on other col- lege campuses. In the concert, the So young men from Renaissance High School will both sing their own material and join in collabo- ration with the Glee Club. "But it is not just about sing- ing," Rogers said. "It is about engaging them and showing them our school. It's a tangible way to connect with others who have trouble imagining themselves at this university. That bridge begins with the Glee Club, and I am very honored to be a part of that." more t. pillars, munity justice food in and aft Thrc it has b where and w of nor gan, B Se bri ins origina around anywh over se and be1 while p organic commu Their s quickly ship an The three Januar ect wit profit g aid su: farmin "Chi On th that we a piece gan," B On han musicians. They are "Run Across Ethiopia," consisted of advocacy for their com- of 16 people from the U.S. and , in everything from social Ethiopia completing a marathon - encapsulated in local every single day for 12 days. itiatives - to water rights "(May and I have) always er school arts programs. dreamed of going to Africa oughout their relationship, together," Bernard said. "After een impossible to pinpoint listening to Ethiopian jazz music their "community" begins we just fell in love with it and here it ends. Based out became excited about it." thwestern Lower Michi- Though Bernard and Erlew- ernard and Erlewine were ine were not runners themselves, each day they would get up early with the runners, send them off with a blessing and a song and tth and May hen travel by bus to the commu- ing Ethiopia- nity at the end point of the day's g Op marathon. spired tunes. "Once we got there, we'd go to the school and play music while the kids in the village created art- work as a collaboration with Art illy solo artists, traveling Aid International," Bernard said. the country and playing Art Aid International (not ere they were allowed. Just affiliated with On the Ground) ven years ago, the two met is a nonprofit group based in gan making music together Ada, Mich. that raises money to artnering with many local provide art supplies for children zations that encourage around the world, according to unity-based sustainability. Bernard. trong musical partnership Bernard and Erlewine used 'fed into a lasting relation- their time in rural Ethiopian d a recent marriage. communities to incorporate creative couple spent involvement with Art Aid Inter- weeks in Ethiopia last national into the project. y in a collaborative proj- "Later on in the evening the th On the Ground, a non- runners would arrive and we group that raises money to would all have a big Ethiopian stainable development in feast together," Bernard said. g regions worldwide. "That night, if we had the oppor- ris Treter (the founder of tunity to, May and I would play e Ground) convinced us music with local musicians for e had to go, help and bring everyone in the community." of Ethiopia back to Michi- In the middle of the trip, Ber- ernard said. nard and Erlewine spent two the Ground's initiative, days at a hotel in southern Ethi- opia working on music inspired by the trip. "The hotel was on this big lake, and we just wrote (songs) the whole time," Bernard said. Though each track of New Flower is tied to the couple's Ethiopian expedition, some of the songs, like "When We Run" and "Talkin Coffee," are more transparently connected to their experience. While some of Seth and May's songs are performed together, "Talkin Coffee" features Seth alone. It focuses on the creation and importance of fair trade cof- fee through the musical style of talking blues, which was made famous by artists such as Woodie Guthrie and Bob Dylan. "The talking blues form is dear to my heart," Bernard said. "The form is traditionally American, where you just talk about the news of the day, whether it's the word on the street or an opinion. I talked about coffee because it's the third largest traded com- modity in the world and I wanted to relate to the coffee regions throughout the world through music." Other songs, like title track "New Flower," holistically embody experiences and themes they found in Ethiopia. "A lot of our inspiration came through a lot less educationally and more inspirationally," Ber- nard said. "It's about hope strug- gling and surviving. We were trying to take what we learned and experienced from the Ethio- pian people and put it out there with all of our heart." A gross 'Allen Gregory' By KELLY ETZ DailyArts Writer Allen Gregory is one preten- tious, precious, mean-spirited seven-year-old. If only he were actually funny. The cen- tral charac- ter of FOX's Allen new animated series "Allen Gregory Gregory," cre- Pilot ated and voiced by Jonah Hill Sundays at ("Moneyball"), 8:30 p.m. the insipid pint- FOX sized intellec- tual is the only seven-year-old boy ever created with absolutely no redeeming qualities. Right off the bat, he's estab- lished as an incredibly cultured crybaby. From his overtly osten- tatious speech to a hissy fit on the balcony, the character is just plain awful. In said balcony scene, Allen Gregory's father, Richard (French Stewart, "3rd Rock from the Sun") and Rich- ard's partner Jeremy (Nat Faxon, "Bad Teacher") say they have some bad news for Allen Gregory. In which Allen Gregory replies, "Jeremy has AIDS? Full-blown- sies?" A crucial mistake for the writers - if you're going to tell an AIDS joke, it better be gut- wrenchingly hilarious. In fact, Jeremy doesn't have AIDS, but he does have to get a job. Meaning Allen Gregory is stuck going to public school with the rest of the masses. The tiny genius only gets worse when forced to interact with the ele- mentary school heathens, strut- ting around obnoxiously and having awkward fantasies about his over-60-year-old principal. And when he's not doing any of that, he's verbally abusing his Justin Bieber's Christmas gift FOX "Is this red wine? It's red with meat, white with fish, father!" adopted Cambodian sister Julie When, halfway through the epi- (Joy Osmanski, "Fired Up"). sode, it's revealed that Jeremy is Shockingly, none of it is amusing. probably a closeted straight man, Allen Gregory's character is the irony doesn't even register. simply too off-beat and overtly it's too difficult to work past the annoying to be likable in any way. constant victimization of the The attempts to make him seem character. And so much for Allen sympathetic fail gloriously, as he Gregory being raised by Richard is such a spoiled prick that his and his partner Jeremy - as the inability to fit in with other kids episode progresses, it's more like seems richly deserved. Richard and his sexual victim Jeremy instead. Charming. "Allen Gregory" is offensive This is just to its core, whether rooted in the T s s contrived dialogue or the pomp- ous, egocentric main charac- offensive. ter. Beyond that, it's just boring. While the art-deco stylized ani- mation is well executed and the What the audience is left with, secondary characters aren't bad, after each joke falls comically flat, there's no reason to waste a half- is an overarching sense of cruelty. hour on those factors alone. The constant dismissal of Julie, Unless the series can figure especially by her adoptive father, out what exactly it's trying to do, who maintains that he and his it won't have a snowball's chance partner adopted her to save her of overcoming such absurdly from being "turned to glue over executed - not to mention poorly there," provides neither satire written - dialogue. The show nor humor - and all the while is isn't saying anything, and it's cer- overtly and unnecessarily racist. tainly isn't employing any amount The same uncomfortable criti- of humor with which to say it. cism is heaped on Jeremy, who With a vast amount of better is continuously degraded by options available, "Allen Gregory" both Richard and Allen Gregory. just isn't worth the time. By ANDREW ECKHOUS Daily Arts Writer Like so many child stars before him, Justin Bieber is slowly veering away from his straight- laced, G-rated, Alvin-and-the- Chipmunks persona toward Justin an edgy, Staples Bieber Center-pater- nity suit life- Under the style. "Bieber Mistletoe Fever" no lon- ger represents Island the wholesome bowl cut that entranced millions of tweens into spending their parents' money on Bieber swag, but rather an alleged father who raps over Watch The Throne beats (seriously, Google it). With a surreal, Maury Povich- esque court case pending against the 17-year-old minor, he's prob- ably relieved his latest album, the Christmas-themed Under The Mistletoe, was released last Tues- day. The unsurprising chart-top- per features high-powered artists like Mariah Carey, Usher, Busta Rhymes and Boyz II Men, but J-Beebz can't quite match their talent. Instead, Bieber seems to be sending a subliminal message to the American public, and it sounds like a high-pitched, "Take me seriously, pleaset" Bieber isn't talentless. His musical releases and his esca- padesoutsidethe studio - includ- ing controlling Funnyordie.com for a day - show he's a shrewd and hardworking businessman (businessboy?). But he is repeat- edly shown up on his own album. No one should expect him to hold his own against Usher on "The Christmas Song," and he doesn't. Anyone who's contracted Bieber's eponymous disease will find the cure in listening to Bieber against his own guest vocalists. Besides Usher, Mariah Carey's range on "All I Want For Christmas is You," Busta Rhymes's family-friendly rap on "Drummer Boy" and Boyz II Men's multiple reminders that, ves. thev still do nerform music yc, AI togethi quest t for som Wo It's e the Bie criticiz fanbas. look f croons street] religio contro whole happen corner fun. W an "U mate t post-N makea to mar musici their o of Bieb Taki ly will Mistlet next Bi y p~l VY1V1111J1 er, don't help JB in his ISLAND o trade his Disney pedigree nething more respectable. Tiger Beat America, Bieber out- shines his costars with an attitude reminiscent of a Bart Simpson- Ma be coal Justin Timberlake hybrid. When J he's not busy living life with reck- uld be better less "eat my shorts" abandon, Bieber is serenading his pre-teen princesses with Shakespearean prose like, "Ifyou're the only thing easy for someone outside of I ever get for Christmas / Then benator's demographics to everything I wished for has come e him, but his tween-girl true" and, "Leave some cookies e makes Oprah devotees out / I'm gonna eat'em all." ickle in comparison. He It's pretty clear Bieber's suc- like a pre-pubescent Back- cess hinges more on his public Boy, but his dedication to persona than his talent level, but n and aversion to even mild in relation to his competition, he's versy (at least until this a prodigy. Bumble-Bieber's Hol- "you're the father" thing lywood existence and high-pro- ned) have allowed him to file relationships have crowned the market on good, clean him the Prince of (very) young 'ho else could possibly sell showbiz, but it's his insistence nder The Mistletoe Ulti- that he's a real musician that Gift Box" for $69.98 in a catapulted him to the top in the apster world and actually first place. While his act may be a profit? He may be a joke more at home in a suburban shop- ny, but there aren't many ping mall than the Hollywood ans who could profit on Bowl, he's unapologetic about wn versions of the "12 Days it. Refreshingly, Justin Bieber er" calendar. doesn't take anything about him- ing into account who exact- self seriously except for his music, be listening to Under The and while he is no Smokey Rob- oe, it might as well be the inson, he's done pretty well for a eatles album. In the eyes of 17-year-old.